Weekend Chit-Chat with Marmion's Tyler Maryanski

Tyler Maryanski has been one of the area’s breakout boys basketball players in the season’s early going.

The Marmion junior has emerged as a go-to scorer the past few weeks in his first season on varsity. Maryanski, the younger brother of former Rosary athlete Breann Maryanski, touched base with Chronicle sports editor Jay Schwab after Wednesday’s practice about his hot start, his driving prowess and his passion for Marmion.

The following is an edited transcript:

Has your family always been pretty locked into that tradition, that interconnectivity, between Marmion and Rosary?

Yeah, we do a lot for both schools. We always still try to go to the Rosary games even though Breann’s not there.

Did you know you were going to Marmion from a pretty young age?

I think it was fifth grade, I started saying I want to go to Marmion.

What about it?

I always went to the basketball games, football games. I loved the sports, and I knew it was a good school.

Did you expect to play as big of a role as you have in your first year on varsity?

Not at all. I really just wanted to do whatever I could for the team.

At what point during the season did you start to think, hey, I can be a difference-maker on this team?

It was the Buffalo Grove game. It was the first start I had ... second half of that game, the coaches started telling me to take it to the rack, and that boosted my confidence there.

Has that been your main method of having success?

Getting to the rim?
Oh yeah. I think I’ve made two jumpshots all year. Other than that, it’s layups, free throws.

Has that showed up in the scouting report?

Are teams trying to play off you, make you hit jumpers?

I think they’re trying to. I don’t know, I just try to get around that, do whatever I can to get to the rim.

What’s the key to being able to get into the lane, get to the rim?

I’m a pretty lengthy kid. I try to push the ball out in front of me, get to the rim...

You guys had such a huge first quarter against Wheaton Academy, and then things didn’t come together after that. How tough was it after you guys were so on fire?

Well, our goal for that game, we had not started with a good first half all season, so that was really our first goal, we met that, and then after that, I think we were too tired to trap, and that fell off.

Any big Christmas traditions in your family?

Not really. Just having the family over this year at our house.

We’re a pretty big family, all the cousins and everything. Nothing special.

With all the basketball this time of year, guess you can’t go too crazy on the treats, eating all the junk food?

You can’t eat that much, but one or two here or there isn’t going to do that much.